Flying from You
by Ash Gray Kitsune
Summary: -Set after Radiant Garden's Revival- Don't you ever wonder if maybe you did the wrong thing, after all?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts I or II.**

**Flying from You**

It was a soft tune, almost too soft to fill the hanger's vast space. The beat was steady, echoing in a nodding head, a tapping foot, the occasional drumming of fingers on a piece of steel. Most of the crew was gone for the weekend; out celebrating with the founders of Radiant Garden, partying to the new year. He'd remained behind, of course; the Captain didn't have the leisure anymore, not with the booming airship and gummiship business he'd managed to resurrect. So here he was, toodling around his hanger, meticulously piecing together their newest client's pleasure flier to the tune of a now forty-year-old song. It was a relief, truth be told, and a bit of a trip down memory lane as well. Those words brought back days of hardship and days of fun, some spent in crappy tents on the side of a deer track with a few cans of beans, numerous fart jokes, and a trio of screechy women bitchin' about the night around them. And him.

Oh yes, there was a memory...and a damned fine one too. The Captain leaned back from the engine he'd been chest-deep in, and tried to brush off some of the crap clinging to his tank. He snagged a cigarette from the pack tucked into his goggles and lit it, savoring the nicotine before he set off to the far side of the hanger. His mind drifted back to the old days, before they'd lost everything, before the Heartless had come...The very first conversation he'd had with the lithe, beautiful being he would later come to call friend and beloved made a smile touch his eyes, and he coughed out a laugh at his own stupidity, drumming on his chest to loosen the painful clenching. Massaging his heart, he chuckled dryly, taking another drag. Vincent had loved watching him smoke, his red eyes following the serpentine lines up into the sky, and so Cid had found himself a friend. 'Lover' was a much harder job to earn, but three years in, their sky-watching became cuddling, then so much more. Then...it all fell apart.

The world itself was breaking up from the Heartless, and from a reborn angel of death, and Cid had barely enough time to gather up his own friends and a few of the neighbors before he had no choice but to go airborne. But something had gone horribly wrong, and at first Cid thought he'd made a huge mistake when the sound of an engine being torn off shook him to the core. Sephiroth was hell-bent on revenge, and it was Vincent who hurdled onto the wing, doing battle with claw and a short rapier he'd taken up not even a year before. He was nearly on the verge of winning when Sephiroth disappeared, and before he could brace himself, Cid's ship had taken off, sending Vincent tumbling into the dark, dying heart of the planet itself. Even now, Cid woke up from nightmares, and as he stopped before the back wall of the hanger, he doused the cig, letting it fall into an ashtray nearby. He reached forward, and grasping the large canvas cloth, pulled it off to reveal a sleek, powerful gummiship, all black with a streak of bloody red down the sides. He swallowed, then steeled himself and hopped inside, motoring the jet out onto the runway.

Screw it. He'd waited long enough.


	2. Chapter 1

**Flying from You ~ Kingdom Hearts**

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own Kingdom Hearts. If I did, Vincent would be a main character.**

Familiar piano strains echoed up through the gummiship dock, and Cid groaned faintly, rubbing engine grease into his eyes as he forced himself to sit up, back twinging from the cold metal beneath him. At least he had to give the brat credit; she appreciated his taste in music, and always had a stereo or one of his records playing over the speakers. Usually it was a little more hardcore, but he was glad she'd picked ol' Billy Joel; his dreams had been a little too painful as of late, unless he worked himself to a stupor and _that_ only happened when he passed out in the bay of his mammoth gummi, the Colossus. The Raven, the Fenrir, and Sora's Kingdom ship were all docked in the belly of the ancient ship, and Cid stretched, popping his shoulders, before standing up carefully and collecting his tools. He'd passed out shortly after finishing the Kingdom, and he chuckled as the two chipmunk engineers waved from the cockpit, clearly working on the wiring. He returned the waves, and made his sore, achy way up to the bridge, where his haphazard crew had gathered together an odd assortment of chairs, tables, and evidently, card games. Yuffie gave him a toss of her head, Cloud and Leon salutes. It was Tifa who brought him a tall mug of tea, which he took gratefully.

"M'thanks, Teef."

"It's nothing, Cid. How are the ships?"

"They're fixed and rarin' to go...anything on the scopes?" His bright eyes dimmed as she shook her head, and he sighed, rubbing more black grease into his sandy hair, toothpick meandering to the other side of his mouth. "Damn..."

"I'm so sorry, Cid..." He smiled falsely, and patted her leather clad shoulder; she looked a lot like Vincent, save that her red eyes were a darker wine-red, her hair smoother and a deeper shade, and he'd always teased them both that they were related in some way; she would sock him in the arm while the gunman rolled his eyes, a faint smile flickering across his face. Now, though, she looked worried and worn; making her way back home had not been easy, and he had been a little ticked that Cloud had been so cavelier about her return; Aerith, at least, had been rather friendly about it all. Speaking of the gardener...he moved aside rather adroitly as Sora, Goofy, and Donald all tore past, clearly fleeing a seething Ancient.

"RUN!"

"Hyuck! Get outta here!"

"Rrrrrrrrrragh! %!^&^&$#**!"

"The three of you, get back here _this instant_, or I will _summon bloody Bahumut_!" Aerith strode across the metal floor, covered in a huge stain, flour, and what looked like chocolate syrup...Everyone else turned back to their game, and Cid sidled off over to where Merlin was studying, using his magics to cast a scrying net over the cosmos around them. It wasn't terribly reliable, but it made the search much easier, and they'd already picked up a large number of materials, and a few survivors trapped in their dying ships. Cloud and Leon had taken Fenrir back to the Garden to drop them off, then met Cid's ship easily enough. He took another sip of the hot tea, and took a seat on the old man's side, picking up a tome. He was passable with magecraft, and so understood some of what was written, but his focus was still shot, his mind far away from the words on the page. Damn...he missed that man. As Aerith raged around him, using her staff to bust a few numbskulls, he idly wondered whether sending off search parties...no. No, that was an invitation for trouble; the Organization remained strong, and he dared not risk his comrades to a barrage of fighters.

This ship was more than adequate to face those paltry forces, and armed to the teeth to boot. Then there were the three fighters below...no, slow and steady was best. Jump in, and he might lose everyone; stay together, and they stood half a chance in hell at finding Vincent. Besides that, the gunman would not want him to be a fool, jumping in like some teenager with spiky blond hair. He remembered the get-up Cloud had worn when he'd first stopped in to Radiant Garden, before the revival, before Sora had arrived again...And his blue eyes widened. He jumped up, scattering grimoires and papers, and dashed over to the swordsman, leaving Merlin squawking in his wake.

"Spiky, where the hell's that gauntlet you were wearin' when you came back?" Cloud looked nonplussed, then understanding dawned on him.

"In Fenrir, in my cabin...I'll go get the cloak, it's tucked in my room here!" They both took off like lightning, and Leon looked utterly confused, as did Yuffie. Merlin, however, huffed over, and growled, rubbing his back.

"Damn fool boy could have read my mind...he figured out we needed a link to our tall, dark friend in order to find him. Merely going to the remnants of Gaia would not suffice; likely Vincent has moved on, as strong as he is." Leon raised an eyebrow, and Yuffie's eyes narrowed.

"He better come back...Cid's gone through enough hell in the last five years."

* * *

><p><em>Someone's looking for me.<em> Xivennct's eyes opened, softly glowing a wan fuchia in the shadows behind the castle, where he was leaning comfortably against the wall. Stxgne and Oxern were at their posts across the way, marking the corners of the opposite building, hoods down to reveal two men, one with long, braided black hair, and a diamond centered in his forehead, and the other with a wild, spiky, shaggy crop of flaming orange hair, a pair of ragged, half-destroyed goggles perched atop his head. Xiv pondered the goggles, his mind absently recalling when they'd woken up, all three nearly nude, in half-destroyed clothing and each with a small keepsake of the lives they'd once had. Their names had been slow in coming; try as they may, they had no knowledge of this world of light and shadows, and a man and woman, both reeking of deceit, had brought them to the castle. They had been given clothing, the robes they now wore as proof of their office, and had been taught the ways of their weapons. Xiv had been surprised to see his; a halbard, the blade wrapped in silver claws, a long tail of red fabric from the blade's base forever coiling around him. He could summon a gun as well, but it was more difficult to use, for his left hand was clad in a brace, tipped with black claws, and to take the brace off was to invite weakness. He relied on his right to manage most of his tasks...

"Boss, orders." Ox held up a finger as he listened into his headset, green-blue eyes narrowing, then he motioned to Stx to come close. Xiv could hear what was being said just fine from his post across the alley. So, Xemnas wanted his small team to infiltrate a gummiship coming close to the territory? He wrinkled his nose in distaste, and made his way over to his men. They weren't good enough to replace the members of Castle Oblivion, yet they were ordered to infiltrate a heavily armed ship, filled with likely assailants. He wondered, at times, if perhaps he should steal away, not unlike Marluxia...He snorted, and shook his head, dislodging his long sweep of black hair. Number one did not allow such...foolishness. Gods, how he hated being used...Finally, Saix's voice faded, and Oxern looked disgusted, but resigned. His eyes met Xivennct's and he sighed as the older Nobody nodded. No sense in arguing; this was above their station. Stxgne opened a portal without being asked, and the three stepped through, their wills merging into one as they began the walk through the world beyond the ordinary, their goal a distant shadow within a shadow that marked the depths of the gummiship's bowels. Besides...that was where the tugging was pulling him; he wanted to know who it was summoning the Fates.

Yes, that was their title underneath Xemnas. They were three who acted, in times of distress, as one, who fit together as the pieces of a puzzle. Stxgne was the embodiment of mythic wisdom, his duel blades equally sharp, his black eyes clean of emotion. He had devoured the great library, maintaining the laws of the Nobodies to the letter, though most of his fellows may not have. Oxern was just the opposite; raw, wild emotion, capable of great passion, and great despair, wielding a single long rod that snapped and crackled with the energies always so present around him, even in a state such as this, when they were seeking a different world through the Organization's means. Colors mixed, faded, then darkened around him, for he was justice, blind to all around him, though holding a surprising amount of compassion for both sides. As for himself...Xivennct was judgement, stern and firm of hand, more a listener than a condemner. He held the role of leader in their small group, and to the others, his orders were more absolute than the Head of the Organization. He could, and had, forced all but Saix and Xigbar to stand down...even that abdominable fire-master, Axel, had been cowed before his eyes. Wherever Number VIII was now, Xiv did not care; he was a traitor and a fool, and he knew full well that because of that, Demyx had fallen to the Keyblade's wielder, and had held himself, and his team, well clear of Radiant Garden.

Besides...they had greater prey to hunt than one foolish Nobody. He felt the swirling energies around them contract as they drew close to the exit point, and with a wave of his hand, he opened the gate, stepping out into the gummiship's hold. Machinery whirled and spun around them, and above, three sleek smaller ships stood docked, one a deep steel gray, one bright red and yellow, and the last...a fierce pain shot through his chest, and he clenched the leather over it, hissing faintly. Ox and Stx moved towards him, their eyes questioning, but he waved away his men, however, and glared up at the black fighter, eyes narrowed. There was...something of a sentience in that one, different from the other two. It was cool and calm, nearly indifferent...but not quite. It had called to him, and unbidden, a memory arose, tattered and torn, of flight in one such ship. He shook it away, and stood a little taller.

"Sir?"

"It's nothing. Let us go; I've no desire to stay in this place any longer than we must." They set off towards the likeliest exit, and as he pulled his hood up, he heard the faint rustling that meant that the other two had followed suit. Eyes the shade of a dying rose followed the helpful signs, and flickered a faint crimson, just for a moment. He knew this place...

**Gods, I need to stop making new stories...Oh hell, why not? Now, let's get pronounciations out of the way.**

**Xivennct: Zev-en-neck**

**Stxgne: Sticks-nee**

**Oxern: Ox-airn**

**Now, I wanna know if you guys can figure out who these three were; the first one should be a little obvious, but I won't be too mean. XD Read and review? I'll write more!**


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